1. Field of the Invention
During the latter stages of pregnancy and after childbirth it is very common for a mother to produce excess milk resulting in varying degrees of leaking which frequently causes discomfort and may result in garment staining. For nursing mothers this problem is prolonged and lasts generally throughout the nursing period. To alleviate these problems it has become common to pad the mother's garments with absorbent material to collect the excess milk. The present invention is directed to an improved pad for this purpose as well as for other related uses which will be apparent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nursing pads are presently commercially available and have been otherwise described in the prior art. However, to date, nursing pads have tended to be thick and bulky, detracting from the appearance of the wearer. Furthermore, the bulk of these prior art pads also necessitates some cupping or other forming measure in order to produce a pad that will conform to the wearer so that undue leaking may be prevented. These forming measures may result in a harsh, stiff edge around the pad that can cause chafing or other irritation. Other drawbacks of prior art pads include sticking to the wearer, slipping or displacement from the garment in use, and a lack of breathability resulting in additional discomfort to the wearer. Such prior art pads and others are described, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,553,825 to Langs issued May 22, 1951; 2,609,539 to Shearer issued Sept. 9, 1952; 2,617,102 to MacHenry issued Nov. 11, 1952; 2,891,544 to London issued June 23, 1959; and 3,156,924 to Wonacott issued Nov. 17, 1964.
Pattern bonded continuous filament webs are also well-known and described in various prior art references. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,046 to Hansen et al issued Dec. 17, 1974, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, described such webs and a method of making them. Furthermore, it is known to form webs of synthetic, thermoplastic polymeric microfibers. For example, work done at the Naval Research Laboratories in Washington, D. C. is described by Van A. Wendt in an article entitled "Superfine Thermoplastic Fibers" appearing in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Volume 48, Number 8, Pages 1342 through 1346. It is also known to combine these microfiber webs with other layers or components to form products such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,995 to Floden issued Sept. 24, 1974, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,447 to Thompson issued Nov. 4, 1975, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The formation of absorbent webs containing a mixture of absorbent fibers such as cellulose and polymeric synthetic fibers has been accomplished by various forming methods.
While each of these individual components is known, the present invention provides a nursing pad that combines these elements in a manner producing benefits which alleviate to a great degree the drawbacks of the prior art nursing pads, especially those relating to appearance and comfort as well as staining.